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Letter to UN for release of investigative reports on UN rape of Haiti women, children by those pledged to protect them
By Ezili Dantò (about the author)
Become a Fan (12 fans) -- Page 4 of 5 page(s)
In response, the U.N. adopted a "zero tolerance"
policy toward sexual abuse and a universal code of conduct that
required training for all peacekeepers. But it left punishment for
wrongdoers to individual countries, which has been a continuing problem.
The figures show that the U.N. has referred to national authorities over 450 instances of misconduct -- sexual and otherwise -- since 2007. It received responses in only 29 of these cases.
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Become a Fan (12 fans) -- Page 4 of 5 page(s)
The figures show that the U.N. has referred to national authorities over 450 instances of misconduct -- sexual and otherwise -- since 2007. It received responses in only 29 of these cases.
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UN peacekeepers and aid workers accused of abusing children Posted: 2008/06/24
From: MNN
(Final Call)
UNITED NATIONS - A European charity organization, Save The Children UK, accused humanitarian aid workers and UN peacekeepers of sexually abusing and sexual trafficking children in several war-torn and food-poor nations.
"It's hard to imagine a more grotesque abuse of authority or flagrant violation of children's rights," said Jasmine Whitehead, of Save the Children UK. In interviews, children said they engaged in prostitution, pornography, traded food for sex and were raped. The report was released in late May.
This report is a blessing, said attorney Marguerite Laurent, chairwoman of the Connecticut-based Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network. "In Haiti, children as young as six were sexually abused by peacekeepers and aid workers, according to the report; and by the lack of media coverage it would seem that the world doesn't care," Ms. Laurent told The Final Call.
"Those of us on the ground in Haiti have been saying these things for years, but this report has credibility because of the group putting it out," Ms. Laurent stressed. The activist attorney added that very little was being done to support victims of the reported abuses.
Some journalists have attempted to alert the international community concerning the persistence of gross human rights abuses in Haiti since the 2004 coup that ousted the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The Center for the Study of Human Rights at Miami University's Law School published a report on the security breakdown in Port-au-Prince after the 2004 coup, which, according to Brian Conconnon, director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, was ignored by the UN and the international community.
"What the UN Mission In Haiti is doing is not a mission of stabilization," said Mr. Conconnan. "It is a mission that engages in operations of massacres, assassinations and alleged sexual abuse of women and children more so than activities of reconstruction and peacekeeping," he said.
The Save The Children UK research involved hundreds of children in Cote d'Ivoire, southern Sudan and Haiti. The charity organization said the most shocking aspect was that the sex abuse went unreported and unpunished, with children too scared to speak out and little happening to perpetrators of the despicable acts when children did speak up.
But, the report found there was an "endemic failure" on the part of the UN and others in responding to cases of abuse. "A better reporting mechanism needs to be introduced," the report said.
Save The Children UK also noted that the international community has a policy of zero-tolerance toward child sexual abuse, but that stated policy was not being followed by action on the ground. A major part of the charity organization's critique was aimed at the lack of punishment of wrongdoers in blue helmeted peacekeepers.
"The United Nations has refused to accept moral responsibility for the action of peacekeepers under its control," Ms. Laurent said.
At the United Nations there was a welcoming of the report. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the report was "very helpful" and would be studied closely.
The secretary-general's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, a Haitian, told reporters the report was "largely accurate," but would not take reporters' questions concerning the charges it contained. Instead Assistant Secretary-General for Mission Support Jane Holl Lute was sent as a "sacrificial lamb" before the press.
From: MNN
The
Save The Children UK research involved hundreds of children in Cote
d'Ivoire, southern Sudan and Haiti. The most shocking aspect was that
the sex abuse went unreported and unpunished, with children too scared
to speak out and little happening to perpetrators of the despicable
acts when children did speak up.
(Final Call)
UNITED NATIONS - A European charity organization, Save The Children UK, accused humanitarian aid workers and UN peacekeepers of sexually abusing and sexual trafficking children in several war-torn and food-poor nations.
"It's hard to imagine a more grotesque abuse of authority or flagrant violation of children's rights," said Jasmine Whitehead, of Save the Children UK. In interviews, children said they engaged in prostitution, pornography, traded food for sex and were raped. The report was released in late May.
This report is a blessing, said attorney Marguerite Laurent, chairwoman of the Connecticut-based Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network. "In Haiti, children as young as six were sexually abused by peacekeepers and aid workers, according to the report; and by the lack of media coverage it would seem that the world doesn't care," Ms. Laurent told The Final Call.
"Those of us on the ground in Haiti have been saying these things for years, but this report has credibility because of the group putting it out," Ms. Laurent stressed. The activist attorney added that very little was being done to support victims of the reported abuses.
Some journalists have attempted to alert the international community concerning the persistence of gross human rights abuses in Haiti since the 2004 coup that ousted the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The Center for the Study of Human Rights at Miami University's Law School published a report on the security breakdown in Port-au-Prince after the 2004 coup, which, according to Brian Conconnon, director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, was ignored by the UN and the international community.
"What the UN Mission In Haiti is doing is not a mission of stabilization," said Mr. Conconnan. "It is a mission that engages in operations of massacres, assassinations and alleged sexual abuse of women and children more so than activities of reconstruction and peacekeeping," he said.
The Save The Children UK research involved hundreds of children in Cote d'Ivoire, southern Sudan and Haiti. The charity organization said the most shocking aspect was that the sex abuse went unreported and unpunished, with children too scared to speak out and little happening to perpetrators of the despicable acts when children did speak up.
But, the report found there was an "endemic failure" on the part of the UN and others in responding to cases of abuse. "A better reporting mechanism needs to be introduced," the report said.
Save The Children UK also noted that the international community has a policy of zero-tolerance toward child sexual abuse, but that stated policy was not being followed by action on the ground. A major part of the charity organization's critique was aimed at the lack of punishment of wrongdoers in blue helmeted peacekeepers.
"The United Nations has refused to accept moral responsibility for the action of peacekeepers under its control," Ms. Laurent said.
At the United Nations there was a welcoming of the report. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the report was "very helpful" and would be studied closely.
The secretary-general's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, a Haitian, told reporters the report was "largely accurate," but would not take reporters' questions concerning the charges it contained. Instead Assistant Secretary-General for Mission Support Jane Holl Lute was sent as a "sacrificial lamb" before the press.
Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
Letter to UN authorities
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http://www.ezilidanto.com
Human Rights Lawyer, Ezili Dantò is dedicated to correcting the media lies and colonial narratives about Haiti. A writer, performance poet and lawyer, Ezili Dantò is founder of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network, runs the Ezili Dantò website, (more...)
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